The World

Nine men in a home for the retarded were killed when dense smoke prevented rescuers from reaching them in their fourth-floor dormitory in Ste. Clothilde, Canada. Three people were treated for smoke inhalation and one man escaped injury by taking refuge in a shower. "There was nothing we could do to help," said a resident of the rural Quebec province community. "When we got there, it was just a big, thick screen of smoke," said another, who rushed from a party to help. Four of the dead were found in their beds and the other five were lying on the floor. The victims were between the ages of 29 and 50.